Method of applying protectors to shoes.



W. 1:". ROSTOCK.

METHOD 0E' APPLYING PROTEGTORS T0 SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9. 1913.

1,103, 1 '70. Patented July 14, 1914.

/N VEA/ TUR W Y E e. Q S Z WILLIAM I. Bosrocx, or PROVIDENCE, RHODE IsLAND.

METHOD 0F APPLYING PROTECTORS T0 SHOES.-

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Application filed August 9, 1913. Serial No. 784,005.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. BosTocK, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Applying Protectors to Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to produce a finished shoe equipped with protecting means at the toe portion which will efficiently protect the toe part of the sole from wearing out as long as any capacity for wear is left in other parts of the shoe, even under the most severe usage, such for instance, las is given by boys; which will not injure floors, etc., on which the wearer may walk, or cause any discomfort to the wearer; to a shoe in which the sole is attached by stitching, and which will not detract in the least from the desirable appearance of the shoe.

My invention consists both in the shoe itself, which has advantages and novel features over the prior art, as hereinafter set forth, and in the method of operation which results in the improved shoe, and which is the only method so far as I know by which the improved shoe having the desired characteristics can be' produced.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated a possible embodiment of my invention, Figure l represents a plan view of the bottom of a shoe, having my im* proved protection provided at the toe end of its sole, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the shoe on the line 22 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of a part of the toe portion of the shoe to which the protector is applied, the latter being broken away to show the scored part of the sole.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures. y

Referring to the drawings a represents the upper of a shoe, b represents the inner sole, o represents the outer sole, d represents the welt and e represents a protector by which the wear atthe toe of the shoe is reduced.

An important feature of the invention is that the protector is used in connection with a shoe having its sole secured by stitching, either to a welt as in the Goodyear type of shoe, or to an inner sole, as in the McKay type. Another important feature is that the protecting device isl so combined with the sole that 1t does not project from the sole at any point, elther at the edges or from the bottom, but is practically Hush with the sole and forms a part of the tread surface thereof. Thus the improved shoe combines the features of a' stitched shoe having a protector flush with the tread surface of its sole. In order to produce this result I have had to mvent a new improvement in the method of shoemaking. new` and improved method before proceedving with the description of the shoe.

My method does not involve any change in the preliminary steps or lasting of the' vis a plate of uniform thickness, the cut away part of the sole is of substantially uniform depth. v Then the cut away part is cut in the line where the attaching stitches are laid, so as to make a groove to receive such stitches. The next step is to stitch the outer sole to the welt, in the case of a Goodyear shoe, or through to the inner sole in the case of a McKay shoe, the stitches being drawn. down into the groove f formed in the cut away part of the sole, Vand having the appearance somewhat as shown in Fig. l. When the stitchesarethus pulled tight, they are approximately flush with the bottom of the cut away part of the sole. Then the protector plate is applied to the sole, such plate being approximately of the dimensions of the cut away area, and it is attached by rivets or nails g which pass through the plate and the sole. These rivets or nails are arranged in lines substantially parallel with the edges of the plate, those nails which lie ynear the edgesof the sole being driven inat an inclination as shown in Fig. 2,

ywhile those near the edge of the plate which crosses the sole may be driven more nearly perpendicular. In driving the nails their inner ends are spread out so as to clench over the inner sole, through which they pass. Thereby the protector is secured in an ex- I will now describe thisv -f ceedingly rigid and 4permanent manner,

where it will remain until the shoe is completely worn out. Then the outer edges of the protector are ground to bring them into exact conformity with the edges of the shoe sole, and finally the sole is trimmed, burnished, and nished in any desired way.

'Io increase the permanence ofunionof the protector plate, the same is so formed when the holes for the attaching nails'are made that the stock around the holes is bent up in the form of a bur /z instead of being cut cleanly out. Thatl is, the perforating of the plate is done by a tool which forces aside the stock rather than removes a punching, and thus each hole is surrounded by a raised rim, which surrounds the attaching nail and,

is embedded in the sole. Thereby the amount of Wear which the protector can withstand before the nails become loosened and before it separates from the nails, is

l augmented.

The shoe protected according to my novel and improved method has the advantages that the toe. is protected so that it will not wearA out before other parts of the shoe, even when subjected to hard usage as given by growing boys, it is inconspicuous and does not mar'the handsome appearance and finish of theshoe; it is flush with the bottom of the sole and is therefore incapable of injury to floors, carpets or the like, neither is -t liable to cause discomfort to the wearer, that ters `Patent is y 1, The method of producing a shoe having a sole protected at the toe, which consists in laying and rounding the'sole, cutting away the tread face of the sole at and near the toe, stitching the sole, and placing a protector platein the cut away part of the sole 'and over the stitches, the plate having a thickness substantially equal to the depth of the cut, so that its outer face is approxi- -mately flush with the tread face of the sole.

2. The method of producing a shoe having a sole protected at the toe, which yconsists in laying and rounding the sole, cutting away the tread face of the sole at and near the toe, y

A the edges of said stitches, thev plate having ya thickness sub-I stantially equal to the depth of the'cut, so.

that its outer face is approximately flush with the tread face of the sole and nishing plate to register with the edges of the sole. v

3. The method of producing'a shoe havying a sole protected at thetoe, which consists in laying and rounding the sole,cutting awaythe tread face of the sole at and ynear the` toe, stitching `the sole, placing a yprotector'plate in the cut away part of the `sole and over the stitches, the platehaving thickness substantially equal to the depth of the out, so that its outer face is approximately flush with the tread face of the sole and securing said plate to the sole by nails passing through the sole.

a. The method of producing a stitched `shoe having a sole protected at the toe which consists in laying an outer sole vupon the bottom 'of the shoe, cutting away the sole at and near the toe to a depth less than the thickness of the sole, stitching the sole to `the shoe, placing a protector plate in the recess formed by cutting away the sole, such platehaving a thickness substantially equal to the depth of the cut away recess, securing 'the plate to the sole, and finishing the edges of the plate and sole. 5. The method of producing a stitched shoel having a sole protected at the edge which consists in cutting away the tready face of the sole at the point where a protector is to be applied, to a depth substantially equal tothat-of the protector and less s than the thickness of a single piece of sole leather, providing a stitch-receiving groove in the bottom of the cutaway part, stitching the sole to the shoe, and laying the stitches which traverse the cutaway part of the sole in suchL groove, whereby such `100,` stitches are caused not to project yfrom the bounding surface of the cut away part, .and 1 finally .mounting avprotector plate in said cut away part and over the stitches insaid groove.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.` y WILLIAM F. BOSTIOCI Witnesses: s HELEN F. DEGNAN, ELIZABETH BAKEL.,

v j Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissionerof Patents, I

. Washington, D. G. j 

